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The psychodynamic approach includes all the theories in psychology that see human
functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person,
particularly unconscious, and between the different structures of the personality.
Freud’s psychoanalysis was the original psychodynamic theory, but the psychodynamic
approach as a whole includes all theories that were based on his ideas,
e.g., Jung (1964), Adler (1927) and Erikson (1950).
The words psychodynamic and psychoanalytic are often confused. Remember that
Freud’s theories were psychoanalytic, whereas the term ‘psychodynamic’ refers to both
his theories and those of his followers. Freud’s psychoanalysis is both a theory and
therapy.
Sigmund Freud (writing between the 1890s and the 1930s) developed a collection of
theories which have formed the basis of the psychodynamic approach to psychology.
His theories are clinically derived - i.e., based on what his patients told him during
therapy. The psychodynamic therapist would usually be treating the patient for
depression or anxiety related disorders.
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Basic Assumptions
Our behavior and feelings are powerfully affected by unconscious
motives:
Our feelings, motives, and decisions are actually powerfully influenced by our
past experiences and stored in the unconscious.
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Unconscious thoughts and feelings can transfer to the conscious mind in the
form of parapraxes, popularly known as Freudian slips or slips of the tongue.
We reveal what is really on our mind by saying something we didn't mean to.
Freud believed that slips of the tongue provided an insight into the
unconscious mind and that there were no accidents, every behavior (including
slips of the tongue) was significant (i.e., all behavior is determined).
Parts of the unconscious mind (the id and superego) are in constant conflict
with the conscious part of the mind (the ego). This conflict creates anxiety,
which could be dealt with by the ego’s use of defense mechanisms.
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Psychodynamic Summary
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Anna O a patient of Dr. Joseph Breuer (Freud's mentor and friend) from 1800 to
1882 suffered from hysteria.
In 1895 Breuer and his assistant, Sigmund Freud, wrote a book, Studies on
Hysteria. In it they explained their theory: Every hysteria is the result of a
traumatic experience, one that cannot be integrated into the person's
understanding of the world. The publication establishes Freud as “the father of
psychoanalysis.
By 1896 Freud had found the key to his own system, naming it psychoanalysis.
In it, he had replaced hypnosis with "free association."
In 1900 Freud published his first major work, The Interpretation of Dreams,
which established the importance of psychoanalytical movement.
In the years following the visit to the United States, the International
Psychoanalytic Association was founded. Freud designated Carl Jung as his
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successor to lead the Association, and chapters were created in major cities in
Europe and elsewhere. Regular meetings or congresses were held to discuss the
theory, therapy, and cultural applications of the new discipline.
Jung's close collaboration with Freud lasted until 1913. Jung had become
increasingly critical of Freud's exclusively sexual definition of libido and incest.
The publication of Jung's Wandlungen und Symbole der Libido (known in
English as The Psychology of the Unconscious) led to a final break.
Following his emergence from this period of crisis, Jung developed his own
theories systematically under the name of Analytical Psychology. Jung's
concepts of the collective unconscious and the archetypes led him to explore
religion in the East and West, myths, alchemy, and later flying saucers.
Critical Evaluation
The greatest criticism of the psychodynamic approach is that it is unscientific in its
analysis of human behavior. Many of the concepts central to Freud's theories are
subjective, and as such, difficult to test scientifically.
For example, how is it possible to scientifically study concepts like the unconscious
mind or the tripartite personality? In this respect, it could be argued that the
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Another problem with the case study method is that it is susceptible to researcher
bias. Reexamination of Freud's own clinical work suggests that he sometimes
distorted his patients' case histories to 'fit' with his theory (Sulloway, 1991).
The humanistic approach makes the criticism that the psychodynamic perspective
is too deterministic. Freud suggests that all thoughts, behaviors and emotions are
determined by our childhood experiences and unconscious mental processes. This
is a weakness because it suggests we have no conscious free will over our behavior,
leaving little room for the idea of personal agency (i.e., free will).
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Finally, the psychodynamic approach can be criticized for being sexist against
women. For example, Freud believed that females' penis envy made them inferior
to males. He also thought that females tended to develop weaker superegos and to
be more prone to anxiety than males.
References
Adler, A. (1927). Understanding human nature. New York: Greenburg.
Freud, S., & Breuer. J. (1895). Studies on hysteria. In Standard edition(Vol. 2, pp.
1–335).
Freud, S. (1909). Analysis of a phobia of a five year old boy. In The Pelican Freud
Library (1977), Vol 8, Case Histories 1, pages 169-306.
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Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: attitudes, self-
esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological review, 102(1), 4.
Jung, C. G., et al. (1964). Man and his Symbols, New York, N.Y.: Anchor Books,
Doubleday.